After years of convening partners in healthcare, education, and human services to strengthen systems and improve outcomes for Oregon’s children, the board of the Oregon Health and Education Collaborative voted in January 2026 to dissolve the organization.
This decision reflects broader funding challenges facing cross-sector, long-term systems change efforts. While The Collaborative will no longer operate as an organization, its work continues through the leadership of local and state partners.
The Collaborative’s Legacy: A Foundation for Systems Change
The Collaborative was established to connect people who are on the ground supporting children and families, advance innovation and best practices, and bring policymakers into the conversation. The ideas and models developed through The Collaborative are now in the hands of local leaders across Oregon.
This work was always designed to be shared and sustained by the relationships that make systems change possible. In the spirit of shared ownership, The Collaborative has made the organization’s reports and materials available for download so partners can continue building on what communities created through this work, including child success models and the shared measures framework.
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Statement from Board Chair John Kitzhaber:
“From the outset, our goal for The Collaborative was to build a statewide movement to support systems change that improves outcomes for Oregon’s children in the earlier years of their lives. I’m proud to say we accomplished that, and much more. This effort was powered by relationships across sectors and embedded within communities. Winding down an organization is always a difficult decision, but I know this work will continue through the committed leadership of local partners, and I will do all I can to support them.”